Changelings
Changelings (aka: Doppelgangers, Puca, Zergs) are shape-shifting, equine-like insectoids that feed on love. Very little is known about where they came from or their true history, but these monstrous beings have been the stuff of nightmarish legends for thousands of years. Appearance & Abilities In their true form, Changelings vaguely resemble ponies in shape, though they are much closer to insects than mammals. They possess chitinous wings, compound eyes, predatory fangs, beetle-like shells, dark hairless skin, manes and tails that resemble rotting silk, and twisted Unicorn-like horns. They also have unusual holes in their manes, tails, wings, legs, and bodies that give them an unusual moth-eaten appearance. Changelings are known for their ability to mimic the abilities and appearance of any other creature they choose and then kidnapping and replacing said creature, sometimes for years at a time. Changelings are "social parasites" that feed off the love, acception, and positive energy of their victim's friends and family. Though a changeling's disguise is physically flawless, they can often be recognized as an imposter due to differences in personality or behavior. However, as changelings feed they become more powerful and even gain the ability to control the minds of others in order to protect their charade from being discovered. Combating and Weaknesses As shape-shifting entities, changelings are highly skilled manipulators, tricksters, and decievers, known to be ruthless and unpredictable in combat, making them especially dangerous. However, it is possible to "force" a changeling to revert to its true form with a strong enough blast of arcane energy. In their true form, the changelings' agility make them difficult targets to hit and they even have some magic of their own (albeit weak, though varying depending on how much they have fed). Also, changelings are surprisingly tough and incredibly difficult to injure or kill (some suspect they are able to regenerate very quickly as a byproduct of their shape shifting capabilities). Most chagelings, however, are not particulary bright or physically strong and are easily overpowered in melee combat. When cornered, powerful changelings are known to take the form of larger monsters (such as manticores, bulettes, and drakondas) in order to tip the scales in their own favor. When the changelings outnumber their opponents, they will all take on the form of their opponents in the hopes of confusing them enough to attack and kill their own comrades. Popular Lore Due to the insect-like nature of the Changelings, their biology and social structure are believed to be similar to that of social insects such as ants, bees, and termites: the Queen Changeling is the mother of all the "common" and "soldier" changelings and that these creatures possess a "hive mind". It is also speculated the Queen Changeling controls a small harem of "King Changelings" that may have been male members of other races somehow transformed into changelings. Possible Origins According to legend, these monsters share their origin with the Equestrian celebration of Hearts & Hooves Day. Once upon a time, a unicorn prince fell in love with the Princess of Tir neigh nOg, homeland of the Flutterponies '''(beautiful equines with shimmering butterfly-like wings now believed to be either extinct or nonexistant). In order to gain the attentionn of the Princess, the Prince created a "love potion" and gave it to the Princess. Unfortunately, this "love potion" turned out to be a "love poison" and the two became completely obsessed with one another, completely ignoring their respective royal duties. Soon after this, a dragon attacked the kingdom of Tir neigh nOg and killed the Prince, causing the Princess to fall into such heartache that she and all of her Flutterpony subjects were mutated into hideous insectoid monstrocities that needed to feed on the Love of others in order to survive. No one knows what happened to the Changelings after this (some say Tir neigh nOg sunk beneath the earth, some say they were banished to Tartarus, some say they became a demon race and fled into the Dark Realm) but it IS generally agreed that this story took place shortly before Discord rose to power. Recent History Recently, a large swarm of Changelings invaded Canterlot during the wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Captain Shinning Armor of the Royal Guard. According to first-hoof accounts, the "Queen of the Changelings" (whose name was later discovered to be "Chrysalis") kidnapped and replaced Princess Cadance in order to weaken the city's defences and eventually conquer all of Equestria. Supposedly, Queen Chrysalis gained enough power through feeding on the groom's love for his bride to defeat Princess Celestia herself in magical combat (though this last point is met with a good deal of skepticism). Luckily for the Equestrians, the Queen was defeated and her armies were scattered (though the exact method of '''how this was accomplished has yet to be fully verified). Shortly after the REAL happy couple left for their honeymoon and the damages to Canterlot were repaired, Princess Celestia issued a 300,000 Bit bounty for any proof that Queen Chrysalis was truly dead, citing her and the changelings under her command as a danger not only to Equestria but all the citizens of the Known World. Trivia *According to legend, Changelings can be killed with Cold Iron weapons. Fire is also an effective way to scare off individuals, and a warm hearth is said to keep all changelings at bay. *Prior to the invasion of Canterlot, all previously recorded changeling encounters involved only solitary individuals on the fringes of civilization. *While there are no records suggesting that the kingdom of Tir neigh nOg actually ever existed, sightings range from the sands of the San Palomino desert to the lowest valleys of the Griffon Kingdoms. After the events at Canterlot, it has been suggested that the creatures might have an underground homeland. *Critics of the legend revolving around the Princess and the Dragon state that the story is an allegory depicting Royalty (the Princess) being interested in the nobles interests (the Prince) because of the money involved (The Love Potion). However, the money (the Love Poison) causes both of the parties involved to ignore there duties, and as such the people (the Dragon) overthrow the now-corrupt regime. *Several texts refer to a creature known as a "Breezy" that resembled a pony with insectoid features. It is not known if this is another name for the Flutterponies, the Changelings, or a different species entierly. *Though changelings rely on the emotion of love for sustenence, they do often eat "normal foods" in order to produce a sticky greenish goo. This goo is secreted by the holes in the changelings' hooves and is often used to immobilize their victims (sometimes by trapping them in strange cocoons). Category:Creatures Category:Savages Category:Aberrations